Beckley

Tina Langmead

If you have anything: you wish to be included then please get in touch on tal814@live.co.uk

The extracts: from the School log book are in celebration of the fact that our village school will be 200 years old in 2018. In 1818 at a meeting in the Rose and Crown it was decided to set up a Board School administered by a board of local parishioners. In 1885 the then Headmaster Mr W Blackmore wrote the following entries…

16.11.1885: The Misses Shadforth visited.

17.11.1885: Miss Davies(Assistant Mistress) was absent by permission, illness. Several of the children complained of being unwell too.

19.11.1885: The Misses Shadforth visited.

20.11.1885: A very fair attendance this week and the work of the School is steady and some improvement is noticeable, but the irregularity of some children is very depressing. Average for the week 142.

24.11.1885: 167 present in the morning. This is the highest attendance for some time past.

NB- at times the Victorian Beckley school had over 200 children on roll in two classrooms….today it has four classrooms with just over 100 children on roll!

Christmas Craft Fair: this is Preschools biggest event of the year! This Saturday 18th November in the village centre. Lots to do. Lots for every one of all ages not just pre-schoolers! Whilst the little ones decorate a biscuit or visit Father Christmas you can do some early gift shopping, enjoy a mulled wine or mince pie and have a go at winning one of the amazing raffle prizes up for grabs. You could win a weekend away , a hamper, voucher for rye retreat or a whole load of wine! The fun starts at 10 am and goes on until 2pm….please support them.

Horseshoe Lane: On Friday 10th November 2017, carriage way reconstruction works will begin on Horseshoe Lane, Beckley.These works are scheduled to last for 30 days.Works will be carried out in 2 phases in order to make access for residents easier and minimise disruption. Due to the nature of the works, the road will be closed to through traffic 24/7.Staff on site will liaise with residents regarding access. A268: On Thursday 16th November resurfacing works will start on A268, Beckley. These works are scheduled to last for 2 nights, with workmen on site from 7.30pm-6am.Works will start outside a property called Westview and continue south. If you live within the works then please respect the workers’ space and safety by approaching with care and consideration.

Email:customer@eastsussexhighways.com or Phone:0345 60 80 193

Messy Church; The next session will be on November 21st. This is a friendly group for parents and children together to meet and participate in activities and occasionally share food. Contact Pam or Dee for more details on bandpmessychurch@gmail.com

Quiz Night:-Teams of six. Saturday 25th November in the Village centre 7pm £5 per person to include nibbles. Bar available. In aid of the WI. For further details or to book a table please contact Marion 260450

Beckley Horticultural Society: Their final event of the year is the AGM and social evening on November 27th. www.beckleyhorticultralsociety.wordpress.com for details.

Mobile Library: Beckley village Centre –November 30th 11-11.40am Farmers Market: Beckley village hall on Saturday 9th December 10-12pm. This is not closing down despite recent rumours to that effect! Lots of interesting stalls and local produce. Please support this event, support your local businesses and your village hall.

Village Sign Update: Planning permission has been granted so the new sign in memory of Ron Juden will be unveiled next spring.

St Michael’s hospice need a DJ: Every fortnight the hospice holds a tea dance. This has raised thousands of pounds for the hospice over the years. Due to health issues the present DJ is unable to continue to provide the music after this year. The hospice are therefore looking for one or two people to volunteer to take over. All the equipment is provided and its quite simple, just button pressing at the correct time! If anyone is able to offer this worthwhile service please contact Paul Capps 01424812107 or paulcapps@btinternet.com . New dancers are also welcome 1st and 3rd Thursday afternoons 2 – 4.30 pm. There is a mixture of ballroom, sequence and line dancing in the friendly environment of the Arthur Easton Centre (adjacent to hospice) entry is £3 and all proceeds go directly to the hospice.

Very Important: Mobile library Service: East Sussex County Council’s (ESCC) draft Strategy East Sussex Libraries – The Way Forward is the final part of the Libraries Transformation Programme. It explains ESCC’s proposals for the Library and Information Service for East Sussex for the next five years. The proposals within the draft Strategy have not yet been decided. However, if approved, they will result in the disappearance of the mobile library service which currently visits Beckley every three or four weeks. ESCC’s Cabinet has agreed to a 12 week consultation on the draft proposals, which runs from 21 September to 14 December 2017. ESCC would like to hear the views of residents, whether you currently use the Library and Information Service or not. To find out more about the consultation, its background and the draft strategy, please visit: https://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/libraries/libraries-transformation-programme/draft-strategic-commissioning-strategy/

1st Beckley Brownies: currently has some spaces for new members. They meet every Thursday 6-7.30pm at the village hall. Girls aged 7-10 can learn new skills, take on challenges, work on badges, play games, make new friends and have fun. For further info please register online or visit the village hall on a Thursday evening.

Parish Council Meeting:-Wednesday December 13th 7.30pm Village Centre –all welcome.

Save the Date: watch this space!: 30th June 2018

The Oil Club: has launched a club for Beckley: This is an independent organisation with no links to any of the heating oil suppliers. The clubs aims are simple - reduce the cost of heating oil for their members and the environmental impact as much as they can. If you would like to find out more go to www.oil-club.co.uk

Parking on pavements: This is causing difficulties for pushchair or wheelchair users. It is becoming a problem in several parts of the village. No-one wants to end up with yellow lines in our village which would prohibit residents from parking outside their homes so please try and park considerately.

Hedges and Road Signs: There are several hedges that have grown well! Please can homeowners ensure that any hedges they are responsible for are kept trimmed back if they border a pavement.

Beckley Speed watch: - During the last year over 700 vehicles have been registered as speeding through our village….and it’s not just cars! So far some motorists have been recorded as doing as much as 65mph in the village. The more evidence speed watch can gather the more power we will have to request changes. More volunteers needed for an hour a month to help slow traffic down in our village. If you are interested in helping for just an hour a month please contact mike.rowe@btinternet.com

New Parish website; The Parish council has recently updated its website www.beckleyparishcouncil.org.uk if you have a local event that you would like advertised on this page please send details to sueevans900@gmail.com

Beckley Cricket Club: are always looking for new players of all abilities and age groups. If anyone is interested in playing, scoring or umpiring please contact Roger Howis 07599175491 rogerhowis@hotmail.co.uk

Beckley’s clubs: society’s, classes and groups held in Beckley Village Centre: Beckley Parish Council Regular monthly meetings are held every 2nd Wednesday in the month. Visit the new website for updates www.beckleyparishcouncil.org.uk. BECKLEY W.I 2nd Monday 7.30pm BECKLEY W.I ARE LOOKING FOR NEW MEMBERS Call Marion 260450 or Anthea 260838. Brownie/Guides: If you wish to find out more contact jaybeckleygrownies@gmail.com